Love is Just Around the Corner
by WinterFrost15
Summary: A chance encounter with a shy but sweet woman leaves Moe acting not so. . .Moe. Larry and Curly aren't sure what to make of their mushy leader, but try to do everything in their stoogely power to keep Moe from possibly hurting himself, and the woman he has fallen in love with. How will their efforts go? We'll see! (Based off the 2012 movie)
1. Chapter One: Moe and the Berry

_**Love is Just Around the Corner**_

_**A Three Stooges Story**_

* * *

**PART ONE: Knucklehead in Love**

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

_**Moe and the Berry**_

"Get back here, you no-good lazy bums!" Sister Mary-Mengele shouted, as she chased after the retreating forms of three very troublesome young men.

One of them, a handsome fellow with black bowl-cut hair and twinkling eyes full of mischief, turned his head as he was running and shouted back to the nun, "You'll neva' catch us, Sista'! We're faster than speedin' bullets!"

Another man, with orange, clown-like hair and a bald patch down the middle, laughed and added, "Yeah! We're, um, we're. . ." He then stopped and looked at the bowl-cut man, lowering his voice. "Say Moe, what else are we?"

"We're stronger than a thousand ragin' men," the one called Moe supplied.

"Oh, yeah!" Orange Hair said. Turning his own head, he called out to Mary-Mengele, "We're stronger than a thousand shaving men!"

"I said 'raging,' not 'shaving,' you knucklehead!" Moe snapped, promptly giving Orange Hair a scissors-shaped poke to the eyes. "Pay attention!"

The third man of the mischief brigade, a very tall figure with a shaved, almost bald head giggled at Moe's right. Rounding on him, the nearly hairless stooge immediately fell silent.

"What's so funny, Onion Head?" Moe snapped. He and the others had stopped running - Sister Mary-Mengele was still a good ways off at this point, so there was no danger of an ambush. Not yet, at any rate.

"Nothin', Moe!" Onion Head insisted fearfully. "Nothin's funny!"

"Good," Moe growled. "Now, stick out your hand and make a fist."

Onion Head did as he was instructed, and held out his closed right hand.

"Porcupine, you do the same," Moe said.

The one called Porcupine, who was standing right behind Moe, held out his own hand. A split second later Moe smacked his hand under Onion Head's, making his fist bonk him on the head. Porcupine laughed, until Moe did the same to him without turning around.

"What was that for?" Porcupine complained, clutching his bruised noggin. "Curly's the one who laughed, not me!"

"Don't play innocent with me, Larry," Moe warned. "You're the one who messed things up in the first place."

"Guys," the man named Curly said, trying to break in on the heated conversation. Sister Mary-Mengele had spotted them and was quickly making her way over. Now all Curly could do was hop up and down agitatedly, trying to get his best friends' attentions.

"Well, I'm not the one who put whipped cream in Sister Mary-Mengele's undergarments while she was sleeping!" Larry accused.

Moe gaped at him, his mouth puckering into an engaged 'o.' "You and Curly had just as much to do with that than I did!"

"You're the leader. . .you're supposed to lead. _And _you're supposed to make good decisions for the whole group."

"What're you tryin' to say? That I'm a poor role model?"

"That's exactly what I'm sayin'!"

"Moe, Larry," Curly tried again, tugging at the two men's jacket sleeves. Attila the Nun was a hundred yards out and coming up fast! They had to move!

"Not now, Onion Head," Moe snapped at the round stooge. "I'm busy winnin' an argument."

"Well then you'd better make it quick, Moe, 'cause-" Curly started to say, before an inhuman roar and a girlish scream cut him off. Sister Mary-Mengele had tackled Larry; now the clown-haired stooge was struggling to get away.

"FELLAS!" he shrieked. "SAVE YOURSELVES!"

Moe and Curly looked at each other, horrified. There was no doubt in their minds that Sister Mary-Mengele would rip Larry to pieces. If they did what Larry said and saved themselves, then they had to do it now.

"We'll be back, Larry!" Moe called, as he and Curly hightailed it to the pool area of the new and improved Sisters of Mercy Orphanage. Behind them the screams of Larry could be heard, with Sister Mary-Mengele hissing like a wild cat.

The pool came into view at last. Filled with renewed hope, Moe and Curly increased their speed. Curly, however, soon tripped on a rock. The bald stooge went down like a tree, crashing to the ground in a squirming heap. Moe halted and turned, face twisting with shock and concern.

"Onion Head!" he cried, dashing over to his pal. "Are you okay? Can you get up?"

"I. . .I think my ankle's broken, Moe," Curly blubbered.

"You'll be okay, ya' big lug," Moe assured him, as he put an arm around his shoulders and helped him up. "C'mon, we're almost there."

"I don't think I can make it, Moe," Curly sobbed, big tears running down his cheeks. "Please, just go on like Larry said. You're the only one who'll make this out alive."

"Oh no, I'm not leavin' you with that mountain lion back there!" Moe said determinedly.

"You have to. It's the only way!"

Moe gazed into his friend's eyes one last time, trying to express with his eyes what words could not. Seeing that Curly would not be swayed, however, he gently lowered the stooge within some brushes. "Stay right here, pal," Moe said, smiling. "I'll be back for you and Larry. In the meantime, I'll go round up the other Sista's and see what we can do to stop this!"

And with that Moe ran off, heading straight for the pool. Many of the orphaned children were out playing, either swimming or participating in other activities, such as tennis and basketball. Among the crowd was a new friend of the Three Stooges gang, Jay. He was a sweet kid with a freckled face, dusty blonde hair, and a moon-shaped scar above his left eye. He had grown up not knowing his mother, and had been abused by his biological father since he was four. After his father died, Jay was sent to the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage. He had lived here for a year now, and was currently ten. Despite his unhappy past, however, he was a smart young man who had created a brotherly bond with the Three Stooges. He had especially bonded to Moe, seeing as they spent almost every minute of the day together.

Moe ran right up to Jay now, huffing with the amount of exertion he had put forth in getting here unscathed. "H-Hey, Jay," he panted. "Mind helping me with somethin'?"

"Sure, anything, Moe," Jay said.

"Sister Mary-Mengele is after me and the guys," Moe explained, still fighting to catch his breath and tell his story at the same time. "See, I had this bright idea to put whipped cream in the Sister's underwear this mornin'. If it hadn't been for Curly sneezing while we's was tryin' to do it, we would've gotten outta there. But now the Sister's gone cat crazy! She already got to Larry, and is probably sniffin' out Curly right about now. So please, be a pal and help me set things straight?"

Jay rubbed his chin, pondering this information. "Okay, I'll help you," he said. "But what's in it for me?"

Moe sighed. Jay was a good kid, but requesting his help on a matter like this came with a price.

"You can have my meals for a month," he said.

Jay made a disapproving noise, and acted like he was going to turn his back.

"Okay! Okay! You can have my meals _and _deserts for a month! Make it two months if it has to be, Jay, I'm desperate." _  
_

Jay smirked lightheartedly. "Knew you'd give in. Now, here's what we'll do."

Suddenly Moe was thrown to the side by a massive blur. The head stooge tried climbing to his feet, but he was swiftly flipped over onto his back before he could. A cold wetness grazed the back of his head; no doubt the water of the swimming pool, lapping at the concrete edges. Any closer and his whole head might've gone under.

"So, you thought you could run, did you?" the voice of Sister-Mary-Mengele boomed above him. She then grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, pulling his face right into hers so that he barely had any breathing room. "Well, this'll teach ya' not to mess with a nun, ya' knucklehead!"

Before Moe could react Sister Mary-Mengele lifted him up and shoved him into the pool. He hit the water with a tremendous splash. He flailed for a moment under water, caught off guard, then pushed with his arms and legs and made it swiftly to the surface. As soon as he did a voice called, "CUT!"

"Nice job, everyone," the voice went on, as a man - whom everyone referred to as Daren - walked up to the edge of the pool. "Especially you, Moe. Sweet landing there. That's just what we needed."

"Not'a problem," Moe laughed. "We on coffee break now?"

"You bet," Daren said, smiling. "Might wanna change your clothes first, and tell Larry and Curly that the shooting is over."

Moe nodded, and quickly began climbing out of the pool. The rest of the camera crew was packing their equipment up for the day. They had been shooting for the new show "Nuns VS. Nitwits," and so far everything had gone as planned. Now there was just the problem of finding Larry and Curly and making sure they hadn't accidentally hurt themselves while trying not to.

Many of the crew complimented Moe as he made his way back to where his friends were. He said polite thank-you's to each of them, every time quickening his pace. Things could get messy if Larry and Curly were left unattended. He was just rounding a corner when his head collided with someone else's, hard.

"Hey, watch where you're goin'!" Moe snapped, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm so sorry!" a female voice replied, startling him. "Gosh, that was so my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going and. . ."

Moe looked up to see the female in question. She was a pretty gal with soft, curly red hair, twinkling blue eyes, and black, rectangular framed glasses. She wore a tasteful white blouse, long purple skirt with frills, and green shoes, Vans by the look of them. Moe had seen a similar pair while he, Larry and Curly had been out trying to save the orphanage from foreclosure. They had looked nice and comfortable. They certainly seemed so now, on this woman. What really struck Moe however was this woman's eyes. They sparkled with life and light, and as he looked deeper he couldn't help but smile with nervous excitement.

"Oh," Moe managed to say, feeling awkward and giddy all at once. "Um, hello."

"Hello," the woman said. She seemed just as taken aback by him as he was of her. Taken aback in a good way, Moe hoped.

"Sorry, I uh, didn't mean to snap," he said, then laughed. "Didn't mean to crash into ya' there, either!"

"It's perfectly fine," the woman assured.

They stood smiling at each other for a moment, both feeling too shy to speak.

"Well, um, my name's Moe. Moe Howard."

The woman giggled. "I've never met someone named Moe before," she said. "I like it."

Moe grinned ever wider. "Really? Um, anyway, what's. . .what's your name?"

"Mary Berry."

"Mary Berry," Moe repeated, committing it to memory - which was easy enough, considering it rhymed.

"Yeah, I'm friends with one of the cameramen," Mary said. "He brought me here to show me around and perhaps help with your show, Nuns VS. Nitwits. I was, uh, watching you by the pool a few minutes ago, before I went to get a drink. You were really funny."

"Oh. Why, thank you." Moe straightened out his jacket, bowing his head in modesty.

"Hey, would you mind if we sat down and talked for a bit?" Mary offered. "I wanted to pitch some ideas to you about the new show. Joe, the cameraman, was going to ask the director Daren if I could maybe work as a part-time writer, or an editor. He also wanted me to share some things with you before I asked."

"That's great," Moe said, brightening. "That's better than great, that's stupendous! Lemme just, um, take these wet clothes off and we can get down to business."

"Awesome. I look forward to talking with you some more," Mary said, before pushing her glasses up in a shy farewell gesture and walking quietly away.

Moe gazed after her, smiling. He didn't know why, but this Mary Berry was becoming an interesting person to him. Was it her shy smile and quiet demeanor, or perhaps the glow in her eyes that turned his brain to goo? Whatever the reason, he wanted to get to know more about this Mary Berry and her proposals for the show. Something in his gut told him that this experience would be unlike anything he had ever had. He just didn't know exactly what was in store yet.

So, with thoughts of his encounter swirling through his mind, Moe turned and headed for the new Sisters of Mercy Orphanage building, seeking to rid himself of his still drenched outfit.

**Author's Notes:**

**Hello everybody! Yes, this is what you think it is. . .a Three Stooges story. This is based off the 2012 movie with Chris Diamtopolous as Moe, Sean Hayes as Larry, and Will Sasso as Curly. This is my first time writing a story for the Stooges, so don't judge too harshly! This was just a plotbunny that refused to go away, so you'll have to bear with me. Hopefully this first part went down well. If so, please let me know what you think! :3**


	2. Chapter Two: A Talk with Chickens

**_Chapter Two_  
**

**_A Talk with Chickens_**

Larry and Curly dragged themselves back to the main Orphanage grounds, feeling tired and in need of some sleep. Filming for the show was definitely hard and exhausting, but at the same time it was also incredibly fun.

When the two stooges reached their destination, they were greeted by a swarm of children and surprisingly enough, Mother Superior, Head of the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage (and also more recently, Spa). Gently pushing through the gathered group of pint-sized praise and chatter, the Head Nun hugged the pair and patted them on the backs.

"You were wonderful, boys," she smiled. "I can't wait to see the finished episode on TV next week!"

The Orphanage had been rebuilt and remodeled - it looked like a five star hotel now, inside and out. Along with these upgrades came a wealth of new modern technology, enough for every Sister and child to live comfortably while still being connected to the world in various ways. They now had laptops, iPhones, iPods, tablets, and televisions for nearly every room. Many things had been blocked and censored because the children as well as the Sisters, for reasons not needing to be expressed in full detail. Nevertheless, Sisters Ricarda and Rosemary had been assigned to monitor everyone's activity when such technology in use. There had not been any reports so far of misuse, which was good, considering measures would be taken to remove such things entirely if necessary.

"Thank you, Mother Superior," Larry said, in answer to her remark. "We can't wait to see it, either. Say, since we've got you here for a minute, do you happen to know where Moe went? He said he was going to wait for us when we were done shooting."

"Why, I'm not sure," Mother Superior said, looking around. The bowl-cut stooge was nowhere to be seen, however. "Perhaps he went back to his room to change. He did get awfully wet, you know, being thrown into the pool and everything."

Larry chuckled. "Oh, yeah, good point. Well, thank you, Mother Superior. Have a blessed day."

"The same to you, Larry, Curly," the Head Nun replied, waving as the two of them bid farewell and walked towards the main complex.

"Do you think Moe still loves us?" Curly asked, when the sound of laughter had faded a little behind them.

Larry looked at him, eyes narrowing with confusion. "Of course he does," he said. "We're brothers, family. He has us and we have him. Why wouldn't he love us?"

Curly shrugged, a sad, helpless look on his face. "I dunno. He's just seemed so. . .odd lately. Have you noticed that?"

Larry thought about this for a moment, and realized that Curly was right. Moe _had _been acting odd. Not just today, but for several weeks now. Larry couldn't explain it, but the head stooge had seemed very detached, and aggressive at times - moreso than usual. It was as if he and Curly's presence was an insult or burden to him or something.

Now that Larry thought about it, Moe's behavior reminded him of when the orphanage had nearly shut down, and the three of them had set out to earn the money to save it. At one point they had all been arguing, and Moe had snapped at him and Curly so harshly that it had broken their hearts. He'd accused them of basically being dead weights that were holding him down, and had growled that without him, they wouldn't be able to cope.

Beneath Larry's bitterness and anger over this, he had seen a side to Moe that he had only ever seen once before. It was a tender, sensitive side which had only revealed itself in his eyes and the slight downward quirk of his mouth. Moe had also looked that way when the Harters - a rich couple who had wanted to adopt him - dropped him back at the Orphanage many years ago, and instead drove away with one of the Stooges' best friends, Teddy O'Hare.

Moe had claimed the Harters were planning to work him to death with chores, and at the time, Larry had accepted it. As the years went by, Larry became suspicious that there was something more to the story than that, though he'd known better than to ask Moe about it. Until a year ago, he had never thought to bring it up at all. That was until they had gone their separate ways, with Moe becoming a star on the hit reality show _Jersey Shore, _and Larry and Curly struggling to get by and irk out some money. After the three finally reunited, they had privately vowed never to leave each other like they had again, and to always be supportive - even if they had to slap and eye-poke one another to do it.

Now it was looking as though things were heading down that darker road again. Perhaps a good talk was in order, Larry decided. The three of them had planned to talk anyway - but maybe they could tread the waters of some more serious matters, as well.

"I have noticed that, Curly," Larry finally said, pulling himself away from his thoughts to focus on his companion. Then he smiled. "And that's where we knuckleheads come in to cheer him up."

After ascending a flight of stairs and walking down a long hallway, they came to Moe's room. It was was technically _all _of their rooms, but since Moe was the leader, he had deemed it simply as "his" room.

Larry knocked once, twice, then broke out in a jazz rhythm. He became immersed in it a little too much, but neither he nor Curly really cared, for even Curly was swaying from side to side, tapping his feet in light, quick motions.

"Hey, Moe!" Larry eventually called, his moment of jazz over. "You there?"

When Moe did not answer after a long moment, Curly pointed to the doorknob. "See if it's unlocked," he suggested.

Larry reached out, turned the doorknob, and pushed it open. Inside stood Moe, slightly turned away from them, with only a pair of dark gray pants and a belt on. He also seemed to be in the process of putting on a fresh shirt, for his bare chest could be seen.

"I said to wait!" Moe barked, quickly pulling on the shirt when he saw the two other stooges. "Didn't 'cha hear, or were you too busy pounding the living daylights out of my door to notice?"

"Sorry, Moe," the two of them murmured out, looking away shamefully as their leader irritably buttoned up his shirt.

"Ya' should be," Moe countered as he began to tuck the shirt in now. "A man needs to have his privacy and his dignity, ya' know. Anyway," he went on, sighing and plopping down on his bed (actually his time, not one that was shared with the others), "What do ya' want?"

"Well, we just wanted to talk," Larry began, sidling closer to Moe. He remained standing, however. "You were going to wait by the pool so we could all get a slushy, but since you weren't there we thought you'd be here. There, um. . .there isn't anything wrong, is there?"

Moe glared at him, his demeanor instantly tensing up and becoming hostile. "How do you figure?" he challenged. "And no, don't answer that, 'cause nothin's wrong. So just lay off and give me some space, will ya'?"

Curly and Larry exchanged an anxious glance. Moe was throwing up his defenses, which was never good. It meant something really _was _wrong, and that he didn't want the two of them to know about it.

Larry was not deterred, though. With a deep breath, and a slight puff of his chest, the clown-haired stooge said, "We're not leavin' 'til you tell us the truth."

"Aw, I ain't telling you birdbrains anything," Moe said dismissively.

"We's serious, Moe!" Curly joined in, steeling himself just as Larry had. "We ain't leavin' 'til you spill it!"

"You're askin' for trouble, mister," Moe warned, standing up.

"Why soitenly!" Curly shot back defiantly.

Moe scowled in rage at him. "Look, why are you two so determined to interrogate me? I ain't got nothin' to say. I told you already, I'm fine."

The other two stooges just stood there, staring Moe down. He tried his own threatening stances, and attempted to startle them by acting as though he would poke them in the eyes or bonk them on the head. When they still did not budge, Moe suddenly sighed and sat back down on his bed, a defeated look on his face.

"You two's are tougher than I thought," he said softly. "Alright, c'mon, you chickens. I'll tell ya' what's up."

Larry and Curly fist-bumped in triumph. When their swift celebration ended, they hurried over to Moe and got down on their knees, leaning in close. They were both eager and full of dread about what they were going to hear.

Moe did not meet their gaze for a moment. Then, with a very serious look in his eyes, he finally met their own intense stares, and said, "I met a woman."

Then, surprising both stooges, Moe smiled. . .and _giggled. __  
_

"And I think I like her. A lot."

Larry blinked, and Curly just gaped. They knew Moe was a bit of lady's man, of course, but never had they heard him actually express liking a woman out loud. It was both surprising and relieving - surprising because Moe had never admitted these sort of feelings so plainly before, and relieving because Larry and Curly had expected him to say something entirely different.

"What's the lucky gal's name?" Larry asked, collecting himself once again.

"Mary Berry," Moe replied, giggling again. "Isn't that just so adorable? Mary Berry. She could be a stay-at-home mom who makes jams!"

The other two stooges asked Moe some more questions about this Mary, like what she looked like, what was her personality, what was her job and social status, and that sort of thing. Moe answered to the best of his abilities, but at times he felt so excited and dizzy and happy that he would just shake his head and smile like a little kid, not listening to his buddies.

"I'm going to go talk to her about the show," Moe said, after sitting quietly for many minutes. "She's friends with one of the crew and thought she could join us as a writer or something." His eyes seemed to sparkle happily at this prospect. "Boy do I wish you could've seen her. She's. . .she's so. . ." The head stooge broke out a small fit of giggles again. "I don't even know the word to describe her! I'm just speechless! Porcupine, Onion Head, I've never felt this way before in my life! What could it mean?"

Larry grinned. "It means you really like this girl, Moe," he said. "And that's good, ya' know! You should get out and explore the world, explore your feelings! Nothin' holdin' ya' back!"

Moe nodded, his smile if possible growing even broader. "You're right. Thank you, Porcupine! It looks like you didn't need a toupee with brains in it after all to help me realize what ta' do."

The head stooge then grabbed for his jacket, which was lying on an armchair; it was dry, and identical to the one that had gotten wet. Tugging it on, Moe stood up and headed for the door.

"Well, see ya' later, fellas," he said, waving. "I'm off to talk with Miss Mary Berry."

"Bye-ya, Moe!" Curly said.

"Good luck, Moe!" Larry called.

Moe grabbed the lapels of his coat, looking at his pals with gratitude. "Bye, you crazy chickens," he said.

And finally, with a last, smaller hand gesture of goodbye, the head stooge turned and walked out the door, his chest tightening with a mixture of dread, uncertainty, and joy at the thought of sitting down with Mary and getting to know more about her.

**Author's Notes: **

**And thus Chapter Two is completed! I am seriously on a roll with this story. I am just so excited about writing this! I don't know why, honestly, but today I was so happy I almost skipped around singing. Oi, that soitenly would've been an interesting sight! :3 **

**Well anyway, the next chapter will be up soon! Probably tomorrow if my excitement holds out. Until then, please let me know what you thought of Chapter Two! **


	3. Chapter Three: Chatting with Mary

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Chatting with Mary**_

Moe made his way downstairs swiftly. He wasn't sure where to look first for Ms. Berry (since they hadn't really discussed where to sit and chat during their momentary encounter). Then, after a moment, the head stooge decided to walk towards the cafeteria. One of the NvN crew might have directed Mary there in search of coffee or food, he reasoned. Besides, the cafeteria was a nice, spacious room full of comfort, smells, and chatter - Mary could've been drawn in on her own by the pleasant atmosphere.

Moe soon stepped through the double doors of the lunchroom. He stopped for a brief instant to drink in the warm colors and aromas, and also listen to the happy babbling of the Orphanage children. There were Sisters eating and talking at their own tables, as well, with Sisters Ricarda and Mary-Mengele strolling between the children's tables, supervising them.

Mary-Mengele suddenly spotted Moe at the doors. She was standing quite a distance from him, perhaps six or seven feet, but the enraged expression that spread over her face was still unmistakable. With a stiff jerk of her hand to her eyes to hers, she then indicated that she was "going to be watching" the stooge closely. She was obviously still upset about the whipping cream prank, he surmised.

Cringing at the evident threat in the Sister's nonverbal signal, Moe quickly darted forward, finding a quiet seat in a corner alcove of the room. There were a few armchairs here, arranged in a circle; there was also a table in the center, filled with scattered coloring books and crayons. Another table to his left held a lamp and a Bible.

This was one of the designated "recreation zones," one of many small spaces where the children could go and do many things, such as color, play with toys, or read books. Every zone had its own activities, and often throughout the day one could see the children taking advantage of the comfortable, relaxing spaces all around the Orphanage. Moe, Larry and Curly liked to use the recreation zones as well, and were often having fun right alongside their fellow orphans.

Absently Moe picked up one of the coloring books and a few crayons, deciding to pass the time a little while he waited for Mary. He flipped through the half-finished pages, looking for one which was blank. Finally he found one of a lion, and quickly got down to work.

"Ahem," a timid voice piped up a while later, as Moe was putting the finishing touches on his lion.

"Hang on just a sec," Moe said, carefully applying orange and yellow streaks to the lion's mane. "I'm almost done."

After a second, with a slight theatrical flourish, Moe had completed his lion. "Presto!" he cried, feeling a bit stupid for sounding like a magician. When he looked up and saw that Mary was standing before him, giggling at his silliness, his self-consciousness instantly disappeared and a grin sprang onto his lips.

"Oh, hello," Moe said. "Sorry, I was just coloring a lion."

"Not a problem," Mary smiled, pushing up her glasses. "May I sit down?" She indicated an armchair to his right, which was still unoccupied.

"Yes, please, go ahead." Moe tucked the coloring book under his arm, and put the crayons in his coat pocket. He then began to reorient himself, so that his back leaned against the left arm of his chair, and the rest of him face Mary. Seeing this, Mary readjusted herself in her own chair, so that after a moment they were sitting face to face.

"So," Moe said, drawing out the vowel in his nervous excitement. "You wanted to talk about joining the crew, eh?"

Mary nodded, brushing a stray hair from her forehead. Moe noticed that she had pulled on a light green cardigan, and that she still had on her earlier attire (white blouse, purple skirt, and Vans shoes). Her blue eyes, however, seemed even more radiant to the stooge, who couldn't help but gaze into them dreamily.

"I'm a fairly good writer," Mary said, startling Moe out of his temporary trance for a moment. "I graduated from Harvard with a triple major in writing. I love all kinds of literature and creative writing, and recently wanted to make my mark by helping edit and/or write some of your shows, Mister. . .um. . .Howard, right?"

"Yes, yes," Moe said vaguely (he knew he was probably still smiling like an idiot, and knew for certain that his trance over Mary hadn't been broken so completely yet).

"I have some of my ideas for _Nuns VS. Nitwits_ with me, if you'd like to look over them," Mary said, reaching into a messenger bag beside her and pulling out a beige filing folder. The folder was fairly weighed down with papers, a few corners of which stuck out here and there.

Moe took the folder, careful not to let its contents spill all over the place. Then, crossing one leg over the other, he opened the folder and began to skim through the papers. The writing was in an elegant, curving script, not quite cursive yet not the exact style of printing. It was something beautiful and unique in between, and as Moe went along he felt as through the sweeping waves of Mary's words were carrying him on like an ocean tide. He laughed, the sound like the gentle crashing of those tides, then his amusement would fade into soft chuckles - the whispering water tugging at the sand.

After about fifteen or twenty pages, Moe looked up again. "Ms. Berry, this is just great," he praised. "I think the rest of the guys and gals will just love this!"

Mary positively beamed. "You really think so?" she asked, to which Moe nodded eagerly. "It's so nice to hear you say that, Mr. Howard!"

"Please, just call me Moe."

"Okay, uh. . .Moe, then. And you can call me Mary."

The two of them smiled at each other for a moment. Then Moe said, "Hey, why don't we go grab something to eat? The Orphanage has a wonderful variety of food, so I wouldn't pass it up if I were you."

"That's sounds wonderful," Mary said. "What's the menu for today, may I ask?"

"I think pizza, chicken, and hamburgers," Moe answered, throwing a look over to the lunch line a few feet away, where some kids were already standing and waiting to receive their meal. "There's also a salad and fruit bar over that way," Moe added, pointing to two carts that stood to the right of the line. "There's always a lot of choices, which is nice."

Mary nodded. "Shall we, then?"

A lopsided smile crept onto Moe's face as he shot to his feet, walking over to take Mary's hand.

"Yes, we shall."

**Author's Note:**

**This one's a bit short, sorry! I haven't updated this particular story in awhile, so I've kinda lost the Stooge mindset I had last month. But when inspiration hits, it may come in many shapes, sizes, and forms. This was one of those short bouts of inspiration! :) **

**The next chapter may actually come more quickly, since I've gotten back into the swing of writing Stooges now. I hope this short but fluffy chapter has satisfied those who are following my Stooges story! Until next time. ;)**


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